Commissioned collaborations with other arts institutions allow Cornerstone to reach larger audiences, to share the company’s mission and methods with often larger institutions, to invite community-based artists and audiences to feel ownership of their local flagship cultural institutions, and for Cornerstone to return to its own touring roots.

A COMMUNITY CAROL, 1993
Anacostia, Washington, D.C.Presented in collaboration with Arena StageWritten by Alison Carey, Edward P. Jones, Laurence Maslon and Bill RauchDirected by Bill Rauch
Created with residents of the communities east of the Anacostia River, the play’s cast included members of Arena and Cornerstone’s resident acting companies and an equal number of community-based actors, including two children who were the first deaf performers in Arena’s history.

TOO NOBLE BROTHERS, 1997
Lower East Side, New YorkProduced in Collaboration with The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare FestivalWritten by Alison CareyDirected by Bill Rauch
As hosted by the Public and in collaboration with over 200 students at Seward Park High School on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Cornerstone created an hour-long version Shakespeare and Fletcher’s The Two Noble Kinsmen with dialogue and song lyrics in Bengali, English, Mandarin, and Spanish.

ARTocracy, 1997Commissioned by The Getty Museum, Los AngelesWritten by Armando MolinaDirected by Diane Rodriguez
Part of a series, this multi-media, performance art, tongue-in-cheek piece was performed at the Catholic Charities building.

STEELBOUND, 1999
Bethlehem, PAProduced in collaboration with Touchstone TheaterAdapted by Alison Carey from AeschylusMusic by Ysaye M. BarnwellDirected by Bill RauchPresented at the Bethlehem Steel Plant
Touchstone Theatre invited Cornerstone to write, direct, and set design an adaptation of Aeschylus’ Greek tragedy Prometheus Bound. Produced in the empty iron foundry of the closed Bethlehem Steel home plant, Steelbound included a cast of 56, more than half of whom were former steelworkers or relatives of former steelworkers.

PUBLIC GHOSTS-PRIVATE STORIES,1999
New Brunswick, NJWritten by Ain Gordon (Obie Award Winner)Directed by Michael Rohd and Eric RuffinProduced in collaboration with George Street Playhouse and Crossroads Theatre
In conjunction with the performance, over 155 workshops were led by Bill Rauch and Armando Molina in community centers, places of worship and public schools.

A CITY-WIDE BRIDGE: FOR HERE OR TO GO?, 2000Presented at the Mark Taper Forum, Los AngelesBy Allison CareyDirected by Bill Rauch
In celebration of Cornerstone’s 15th Anniversary, representatives from every L.A. community with which Cornerstone had collaborated with (15 communities) were brought together in a City-Wide, Jumbo-Sized, Extra-Value Holiday Show inspired by Francis Beaumont’s The Knight of the Burning Pestle.

THE GOOD PERSON OF NEW HAVEN, 2000
New Haven, CTProduced in collaboration with Long Wharf TheatreAdapted By Alison Carey from Bertolt BrechtDirected by Bill RauchChoreographed by Sabrina Peck
This adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s modern fable was created over three years in workshops involving hundreds of local residents, and set new standards for Cornerstone’s depth of community engagement. The production had a 48-performance run on Long Wharf’s main-stage.

PETER PAN, 2001
Cleveland, OHProduced in collaboration with Great Lakes Theater FestivalPresented at the Ohio TheaterAdapted by Alison Carey from J.M. BarrieMusic by Paul JamesDirected by Bill RauchChoreographed by Ken Roht
A contemporary adaptation involving over 350 men, women, and children from northeast Ohio.

GROWING HOME, 2001Produced incollaboration with the Cal State University Summer Arts program
Fresno, CAWritten by Bernardo SolanoDirected by Mark Valdez
As part of a four-week residency, students from throughout California and residents of this historic farming community collaborated with Cornerstone artists to explore the complex negotiations between development and agriculture.

DEMETER AND THE CITY, 2006Written by Sarah RuhlDirected by Shishir KurupPerformed at REDCAT
In celebration of Cornerstone’s 20th Anniversary – a play created with Angelenos born in 1986.

THE FALLS, 2006
Minneapolis, MNWritten by Jefffrey HatcherCo-directed by Michael John Garcés and Bill RauchProduced as part of the inaugural season of the new Guthrie Theatre.
Inspired by Thorton Wilder’s The Long Christmas Dinner, The Falls was created over three years in workshops involving many local residents.

THE MALL PLAYS FESTIVAL, 1999Presented in association with Montclair Plaza, One Colorado (Old Pasadena) and Santa Monica Place

The culmination of our five-year theatrical experiment in shopping malls, Mall Plays was a festival of short plays critiquing materialism while exploring the new town green. Spanning three weekends and three malls, theatergoers saw nine site-specific, original plays, produced during shopping hours plus the Cornerstone ensemble show Foot/Mouth.